Smack in the middle of their theater run providing dark sounds for the Noir show at the Voorhees theater, the Evil Horns perform music that sounds like if Angelo Badalamenti and Cecil Taylor met Tom Waits in a dimly lit back alley. With black and white 40s style projections by Linsey Bostwick and Cory Einbinder, and burlesque by Darlinda Just Darlinda, followed by the amazing Not Waving But Drowning playing timeless music on mandolin, Stroh violin, viola, lute, bass fiddles, and percussive devices.

Today is the first day to check out the new installation on top of the Met. Roxy Paine’s Maelstrom is all set up against the dramatic backdrop of Central Park and Midtown Manhattan- be the first to experience the rooftop this summer!

Roxy Paine on the Roof- Maelstrom

If all this nice weather has put you in the mood to embrace earth-friendly wares you should check out Nimli’s pop-up store, where you can find everything from home décor, beauty products and jewelry to clothes for men, women and kids- all eco-friendly!

Also tonight, you can embrace your inner 50s housewife (you know she’s in there longing to throw dinner parties and wear cute little dresses, ok, well, maybe she’s not in everyone) at the KGB Bar where the editor of the new anthology “Dirt: The Quirks, Habits, and Passions of Keeping House” and some of the contributing authors will be discussing all things housewife-y.

Also on Thursday you can be the first to experience the insanity that is XRay NYC:

Billed as an over-the-top Big-Top and an Eclectic Cabaret, XRay will feature a wild mix of elements: DJs, go-go dancers, burlesque, performance art, spoken-word, short videos, magic, and live music (with an electronic edge).

First of all can we just stop and freak out for a minute that it’s going to be in the EIGHTIES this weekend?! My uncle called me and reminded me to clean my air conditioner’s filter before turning it on (you should too)! In other words, you should get outside as much as possible this weekend!

If you’re a fan of beautiful old villas and landscaped gardens overlooking the Palisades and you’ve never been up to Wave Hill this is certainly the perfect weekend to check it out. There are various events for Arbor Day happening, including tours of the gardens where wild flowers, magnolias and lilacs are in bloom. The views are dramatic and there’s a lovely Sunday brunch buffet (make your reservation by 4pm today).

Wave Hill

Another great outdoor activity- join New York Like a Native on a walking tour of a part of Brooklyn you don’t know well or that you think you know well. You’ll learn something new about the history of your area and most of the tours include a treat (like a beer or an ice cream cone).

For a somewhat more active learning experience you can participate in a crazy scavenger hunt on the LES with the Anthropologists on Sunday. When did you last go searching for clues downtown?

The TriBeCa Open Artist Studio Tour is a free, self-guided tour of approximately 100 artists’ studios throughout TriBeCa. Bringing artists and the public together, it provides an opportunity for visitors to interact with the artists and see their artwork at the source, the artist’s own studio. An artist-run organization, TOAST has led a true metropolitan “grass roots” path. It began as an ad-hoc group of artists who wanted to revive a neighborhood art walk. Now a not-for-profit organization, it is still a grass roots effort, run by the participating artists. Neighborhood businesses and supporters supplement most of the needed funds not covered by the artists’ entry fees.

When you’re ready to step indoors there are several fantastic exhibits worth checking out. First, the exhbit of Picasso’s later works at the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea has gotten fantastic reviews.

They were all making art that combined elements of Pop and Conceptualism with social concerns about consumerism, political power and gender. Their work kept ideas to the fore but rematerialized them as images. Many of those images were photographic, extracted from everyday life, a life that was increasingly a creation of media culture, as Andy Warhol well knew.

This piece, by David Salle, sparked my interest and I’m hoping to check it out in person sometime soon.

David Salle- 'The Coffee Drinkers'

Tonight is the opening of a much more contemporary artist’s exhibit at 3rd Ward; check out the work of Poster Boy, which is now being endorsed by the advertisers!

A piece by Poster Boy

Also tonight, you can party for a cause at Montien’s, where there will be great drink specials to raise money to shoot the pilot episode of “Foreign Bound” : A travel-reality show that focuses on inspiring and educating the younger demographic and aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and effective communication between borders.

A swinging hard bop jazz quintet—born out of the tradition of the late, great jazz genius Freddie Hubbard—The New Cookers are known for their driving rhythms and engaging performances, celebrating the original Brooklyn jazz music makers and adding their own sound to that rich legacy.

Saturday afternoon check out the pop-up market ‘Funky Child‘ at Alphabeta. There will be music and artwork spanning the range from awesome to really really weird. Enjoy the madness!

Funky Child Poster

Saturday evening if you’ve never spent an evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art you should go this weekend. There’s something magical about being in the Great Hall after the sun has set, with music being played on the balcony and the tourists mostly gone. For an added bonus Saturday evening check out the free Gallery Talk on the Egyptian version of the good life:

The Good Life in Ancient EgyptEgyptian art, a testament to the good (proper) life lived by the tomb owner, depicts his or her desire for a good (pleasurable) life after death. Discover how diverse representations of good lives evolved with the changing mindset of Egyptians.
Marissa Schlesinger
Free with Museum admission
7:00 p.m., Gallery Talk Stanchion, Great Hall

Saturday night enjoy the nu-jazz sound of the lovely young musician Monet for free at BAM.

Deep soul and nu-jazz take flight on flute in the breezy sound of multi-instrumentalist Monet, performing tracks from her critically-acclaimed debut album Essence and her upcoming release Awakening.

Monet

Sunday is the last day to register for next week’s ‘Swamp Cabbage Wild Game Tasting Fundraiser,’ which you really won’t want to miss. ‘Swamp Cabbage, a Dark and Sweaty Documentary’ directed by Hayley Downs and Julie Kahn gives us a unique look at Florida Cracker culture. It involves coleslaw wrestling, among other things. You have to see it, just go.

Swamp Cabbage Fundraiser Poster

But to get back to this Sunday… If you haven’t been to the KGB Bar for their Sunday Night Fiction series this is a good night to go; Daphne Uviller and Eric Kraft will be reading from their respective novels while you sip on Russian beer.

Have a great weekend everyone and be sure to let me know if you have events to add or events for next week that I should post!

Having spent the day sleeping, making myself grilled cheese and dancing around naked in my apartment to Passion Pit (thank god my roommate is never home), I believe I am prepared to survive the week on 5 hours of sleep a night!

a (faux) French rock band that plays upbeat, joyous tunes ranging from simple love songs in French to parodies about Paris Hilton.

is pretty much ok by me. I’ve picked up two tickets and the first person to tell me they want to come along can have the second!

Tuesday is my grandmother’s 84th birthday so I’ll be out in Queens attempting to fit a giant sized sandwich into my mouth at Ben’s Kosher Deli, however, you may be interested in attending Pop Rally at MOMA. I really like the idea of artists as curators and I’ve been meaning to attend one of these for some time. Actually if you don’t have a day job (ex-investment banker?) you should get to the museum before it closes for the day and check out the Marlene Dumas exhibit; I saw it a few weeks ago and I really liked ‘High Heeled Shoes’

When the puppeteer walked in holding two white boxes (like the kind you get munchkins in from Dunkin Donuts) and said “Two households, both alike in dignity…” I knew my understanding of Shakespeare had changed forever.

Thursday I will probably try to see one of the Oscar movies I haven’t made it to yet; top of my list is Waltz with Bashir, which I’ve heard is fantastic. What I’d really love to do is check out one of the two photography exhibits I’ve been meaning to see but the museums aren’t open late enough for office lemmings to make it during the week. I want to see the new Walker Evans exhibit at the Met: